The Cubs have reached a minor-league deal with utilityman Carlos Asuaje, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic (Twitter link). Further details aren’t yet known.
Asuaje, 28, has seen action in parts of three MLB campaigns but has failed to capitalize on the opportunities. He’s just a .240/.312/.329 hitter with six long balls through 586 plate appearances at the game’s highest level.
Last year, the former Red Sox and Padres prospect tried his hand at Korea’s top league. But he was cut loose after a disappointing 49-game run, over which he walked more than he struck out but produced very little power. Asuaje returned to take 186 plate appearances at Triple-A with the Diamondbacks organization, turning in a .239/.339/.403 slash that was good only for an 81 wRC+ in the offensively charged PCL.
It’s not exactly the notable move that Cubs fans have been waiting for, but Sharma suggests that Asuaje could be given a shot at cracking the MLB roster in camp. He’s primarily a second baseman but has seen time professionally at third base, left field, and (least of all) shortstop.
2020 World Series, here we come!!
Have no fear, Jeff simply misspelled Castellanos 🙂
I feel like hernan Perez is basically guaranteed to be the minor league signee that makes the team out of spring training, this guy is just a body to have at spring training
I’d rather have Robel Garcia and Nico Hoerner man 2nd and SS
Luckily you have theo who pulls these guys from the scrap bin for free.
Boston is stuck with bloom who gives out 3m major league deals to trash players like this.
Nico is going to be a really good major league hitter but I saw him play ss some last year and he doesn’t have the range or elite quickness needed to be a quality ss at the major league level. He’ll make a very good 2B.
He’s only 22. He has plenty of range.
Not nearly as much as Baez does or Russell did. Nor does he have anything close to a strong arm from that position. His position should be 2B, maybe an experiment in CF in the spring
Daniel Descalso, and his $5 contract say, “his
well, this has certainly calmed. my fears!!!
lulz
Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it…….Sorry guys——-DUMPSTER DIVIN’ THEO!!!
Go cubs go
Ha ha! 28 year old minor leaguer.
Better than you, aka 28 year old virgin.
U look like something out of Pulp Fiction!
Al ost makes you want Addison Russell back, almost…
This crafty move should assuage concerns of Cubbie inaction. Hey Big Spender!
I saw what you did there.
Just the messenger
That guy signed with the rangers last year then went to Japan now he’s back
I don’t see the purpose in this. There have to be better players available for minor league deals that have a higher upside.
Purpose is. They don’t have money for bigger names.
Reading is a skill.
Someone can’t take a joke.
See the joke is the Cubs aren’t really signing anyone cause of “money” issues.
So why aren’t they signing minor league guys who are better? Money issues
Yawn
He has a couple 100mil to spend. His boss is cheap
@Wrek305 hahahahahaha
It’s the truth. The cubs owner is just cheap. Plain and simple
Cheap?
Jon Lester, Yu Darvish, and Jason Heyward would like a word with you.
Javy Báez is gonna get a huge extension, and LB’s arbitration pay will be enormous.
Ricketts had the 3rd largest payroll last season.
I’m not sure what you’re smoking ‍♂️‍♂️‍♂️
so would Edwin Jackson since you’re organizing the meeting.
What I remember of his Sox days in the system, was he can play every IF position, is a team player to boot. No power, but hits line drives to all fields. Why not sign as a depth move for emergency? Epstein signs tons worse of the guys he previously drafted, why not this one?
I don’t think he drafted Asuaje, he was drafted in 2013 and Epstein was already with the Cubs for a couple years by then.
Regardless, I watched a lot of Asuaje with the Padres and at least at first he hit for decent average. The problem is he has zero power so it’s not really possible for him to be a league average hitter. This is especially an issue because he’s also not really a true utility player, his size and range basically just limits him to 2B. If you were really desperate you could throw him in at 3B or LF on an emergency basis, but he’s no SS.
It’s just a minor league signing and Asuaje is a good guy, but hopefully for the Cubs sake he’d only be AAA depth.
By no power do you mean less than Almora or like pre-2019 Tommy La Stella? Both were solid contact and line drive hitters and both had more home runs per AB in 2019. Even with Almora’s regression in average I wonder what his HR numbers could have been over 150 games (had he not hit that foul ball). Anyway just curious on your observations from watching his Padre seasons if you see any potential for power like those two.
Kind of hard to say in that context because if you asked me before last season if Tommy La Stella would hit 16 HRs in a season I would have never guessed that.
I would say less because while Asuaje makes a ton of contact, he doesn’t seem to hit the ball particularly hard. It’s also not just that he doesn’t hit HRs, he doesn’t hit many any extra base hits at all. I hope he could have a breakout like that, but I think in a good year for him he’d still slug less than those two.
Thanks for the insight. Sounds like a Mike Freeman type at best then, hopefully the CLE version. We saw shades of that with his insane 2018 ST numbers though. I’m just trying to find some silver lining in these “AAAA” moves as I’m finding myself getting more excited about the South side team this year.
Ty Cobb wanted to come …….. but nobody could stand the son of a bltch when he was alive so we told him to stick it!!!!
LMAO. That made my day.
Haha!
See, that’s the kind of crap people are always trying to lay on me. It’s not my fault you wouldn’t play catch with your father.
Beer and a dog.
STOP YELLING AT ME!
**guy behind me starts laughing**
Insert Ray Liota Goodfellas laughing gif
We’re clearly shopping at Dollar General for players these days. This guy is a depth option at best.
The world needs ditch diggers
#championship
He’s an amazing gamer in the non-baseball sense
I wish him the best. He’s living his dream. I hope it works out.
This site needs more of these comments.
He is what he’s shown himself to be. A guy with a limp bat and little power who can play multiple positions.
Baseball is just passing Theo & crew by…
Bizarre signing considering this players isn’t an injured pitcher. If the cubs claim they dont have money for free agents, a look at gallager way says otherwise.
Is that their shopping area that’s $500,000,000 over budget? And you wonder why they don’t have any money.
The guise was to build what now looks like a bad Disneyland and use the corporate sponsorship money and revenue to sign free agents, which apart from dervish, they haven’t done. The cubs are at the $200 million mark in payroll, and their window may be closing in two years with Lester, Rizo, schwarber, Quintana and Bryant all free agents.
I am sorry, but this actually effing sucks. Theo and Ricketts should be ashamed. The Cubs brand is worth billions and revenue in the hundreds of millions. We have holes to fill. Losing out of Claudio and the 2m salary he got, and taking this guy (who is by all accounts a good person) who can’t hit himself out of a wet paper bag over someone more established like Holt is shameful. I love my Cubs, but not going to any games this year. Pathetic.
We need more fans to react by not going to games, only way to send a message! But the blind fans will continue to fill those seats! But not with my rear end!
Real fans matter less and less. All these teams are turning their stadiums into “destination centers” to attract casuals who care more about the atmosphere than the game. Look at Wrigleyville, the area around SunTrust park, hell even Yankee stadium.
As long as some dingus cares more about posting their meal and beer on Instagram and is willing to pay for it, real fans leaving won’t matter.
@Tigerbreak- spot on
Exactly this. Wrigley is mostly packed with out-of-towners from Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Indiana.
Pretty sure that blind fans aren’t attending games
My God do you people follow anything?? The Cubs aren’t going to sign people because of the Luxury Tax and other reasons that will effect the future of the club.
Erik, in my experience people who speak this way were casual fans, until 2015 when they became “real fans”.. Its amazing that 3 years removed from ending a 108 World Series drought, and they are already talking about boycotting because they don’t understand the finances of baseball. This is why its so easy to root against the Cubs.
LOL – it’s a minor league signing. Every year with you people.
Make sure you buy ur White Sox tickets early before they sell out for the season!
white sox havent sold out a game since the minnie minosa era.
Sign Castellanos now, keep Bryant.
A lineup with Hoerner, Baez, Rizzo, Bryant, Schwarber, Castellanos, Contreras, and Heyward
should be very potent.
Happ, Caratini, Almora, Bote as bench guys.
Go to the well with these guys again.
If you’re out of it come July, move guys at the trade deadline.
Can’t do that because of the money! Never going to happen!!
I don’t believe that for a second.
You probably should. If they had the $ to get castellanos he would have already signed by now because he wants to stay on the north side…cubs are the ones who aren’t coming close to his market value price. I would be STUNNED if castellanos is back in cubby blue next year. DO NOT SEE IT HAPPENING.
@Moneyballer, Cubs fans stay in denial.
That would be awesome for the fans, and that lineup would score a ton of runs. However, I believe the fire sale is about to begin. We will know for sure if Bryant gets traded for an impact arm they need for the rotation, or just all prospects. If its all prospects, then get ready to say goodbye to Contreras and more.
Side Note: I honestly believe that given a real chance, Happ is the better player between himself and Castellanos both offensively and especially defensively. Just start the season with him in CF.
And people say they can’t spend any money on upgrades and are cheap
Wake me when we do something that matters.
One of many players AJ Preller got for Kimbrel trade of course none have panned out because GM of Padres is a joke
Now the Cubs are collecting those pkayers
At least it’s costing them nothing. AND they got Kimbrel for just $$. Look at it like that and cubs are running laps around san diego!
Well, they’re doing the best they can do, considering they don’t have any money.
Not sure about the years but Theo and Asuaje might have some familiarity with each other form Boston.
And again, minor league free agents usually seek to find organizations that they feel they have a shot with to make the Show. He must think an opportunity exists in Chicago.
The Cubs have a hole at 2B
Wow!!! I was really hoping we’d get this guy…. wtf!!!!
Why in all the heck is this news? This is like a blog post on some scarce cubs blog like bleacher report. This isn’t sports news worth discussing! Love the site and everything about this place but mercy!
You might be like the 1,000,000th doofus to post this same thing over the last x-number of years. You’ll be gone soon, like the other morons. But this site tracks ALL transactions involving MLB teams, including minor league signings.
@artfay How about you just go away then? This site tracks ALL transactions, we don’t need your useless input.
This their big signing and all of Mlb is laughing at them over the asking price of Bryant. cubs continue their fall into the abyss. With that farm it’ll be another 90 years before they win another World Series.
And that comment is both dumb and wrong. Keep trying buckaroo, you almost has something there – nevermind wasn’t even close. Cubs will be fine.
If you consider 3rd place hovering around .500 fine…
You are bad at trolling or just blinded by hate and do no understand baseball.
Cubbies are going to win the AAA World Series!
Kris Bryant’s replacement?
Carlos Asuaje Has scary eye brows. Looking over the numbers, it appears he has no trouble hitting at the minor league level. It’s been said already, but this is a depth move, perhaps upgrading on what they got out of Danny Descalso last year.
Yes this signing has “upgrade” written all over it!
Asuaje is also a fancy French version of the old adage: you shouldn’t make assumptions that Theo is asleep at the wheel, simply going thru the motions. Underestimate Theo at your own peril. Because when you Asuaje, you make an Ass out of u and je (I)
You’re probably the only one that thinks that’s funny or clever.
I agree. That was brutal
He probably sat and worked on it for over an hour before posting. Must be proud
Grats cubbies on signing a negative war player! You know what they say, you gotta get worse before you can get better! #theosdreamoffseason
Hilarious when clueless fans make comments like this on a minor league singing that every team makes. Shouldn’t you be hopping on the White Sox bandwagon anyway?
Yikes! Doesn’t take much to poke the North side hornets nest! Doesn’t every team throw out a few minor league deals? What happened to the tears of joy and the Championship T-shirts on your great grandparents gravesite? Tough crowd!
What’s the point of this signing.
Minor league depth, like every team needs.
Former Red Sox and Padres prospect?
Shocker! Never expected that!
Huge changes the front office made. Just Earth shattering changes to their operations.
Pathetic. No capacity left to evaluate new talent. They are almost entirely made up of their own former teams’ rejects. That’s all.
White Sox fans claiming they are winning the AL central because of the offseason. Classic Sox
Hey now, CWS fans have every right for excitement and anticipation.
Heck yea. The ChiSox fans have been patiently waiting for something to get excited about and now they can be excited. Rebuild is over.
They have bottomed out already and the needle is pointing up.
They should be able to compete all season and they have a chance at playoffs via wild card or possibly division.
Even if they fall short just competing gives fans hope. And they have some young talented building blocks to move forward with.
White Sox fans should be excited and should support this team
I have seen a bunch of Chihuahua’s games and I didn’t even know he was on that team. You know the Cubs fans are desperate when over 100 comments on this guy
Well Rossy has his hands full with an aging bloated rotation, a core that they can’t or are unwilling to afford and a GM who looks to be more lucky than good at what he does.
The rotation is the weakness for sure. They only have 2 viable starters with Hendricks and Darvish and neither is an ace. They could try to ship Quintana and hope Chatwood and Alzolay overachieve, but Lester is still a disaster. Other than that, the only way to add to the rotation is trading Contreras or Bryant.
I agree but for the Theo and Jed part. They were not lucky at all. The built a world champion.
Gotta give them credit for that.
Now with the current roster they need to take responsibility for that as well. That I would agree with. They have not done a good job the past few years. But they did what they were hired to do which was to bring a world series championship to the North side and they did it where no one else in anyones lifetime here had.
Word- I agree with the WS part. At least we got to see it on our lifetime. I think Maddon is currently the worst manager in the game, but you have to give him credit that he was the skipper that got the job done in 2016.
Dude washed out of Asia. Career should be over
Can we sign anyone that doesn’t have a Baaaaaaahston or San Mexicodiego connection.
Racist and you’re a Tool